Carse was travelling from Durham to Edgbaston for his first game of the county season in early April when he received a phone call that changed his life. It was the cricket regulator calling. They had uncovered bets he had placed on cricket matches – more than 300 – between 2017 and 2019. Mostly it was in-game betting, small amounts, while Carse was watching matches on television at home.

It did not involve games he played in and he was not accused of fixing in any way but it was a clear breach of the regulations and he had no excuse given the extensive anti-corruption education programmes the players go through.

The bets were placed on seven or eight days across the three-year period and involved 30 to 50 bets on each occasion. Carse says he has never had a gambling addiction. He was young, injured and bored with time on his hands when most of the bets were placed. He had not long arrived in the UK from South Africa when it started and admits he was still immature, and accepts what he did was wrong.

It is likely his name was flagged up by the England and Wales Cricket Board’s investigators for extra checks when he was in the Hundred draft. Governing bodies work closely with betting regulators, they can easily cross-reference databases. They had been investigating his case for at least a year before the call was made as he travelled to Edgbaston. He held his hands up very quickly.

The phone call that changed his life

“When I received that phone call on the way down to Birmingham, it took me massively by shock and surprise, and I mentioned on the phone call to the regulator that I wasn’t sure what he was talking about, because the details were now quite vague. And I asked: ‘Could you let me know when these incidents took place?’ And he obviously mentioned between 2017 and 2019, and the penny dropped. 

“Then, you know, I knew what I had done. I probably didn’t realise the severity of what I’d done at that time. But I rang my agent and spoke to Durham and then spoke to England. And I think from day one, once I had the initial interview with the regulator, I accepted that what I’d done was wrong.

“The majority of the bets were made between 2017 and 2018 when I think I played one or two professional games of cricket and I had two long-term injuries. I was injured and incredibly upset, probably not in a great psychological state of mind at the time. I’ve worked with a lot of people over a number of years and now have a close support structure, and I was a different person back then. Ultimately, it was stupid and silly mistakes that I made.

“When you’re going through different struggles or you’re injured as a sportsman, you make silly decisions and silly mistakes and looking back at that time because of me not playing cricket, I probably excluded myself from a lot of things. I didn’t speak up about some of the challenges that I was facing at that time. And that’s probably the biggest thing that I’ve learned over a number of years now, that there are people out there that you can trust and that you can speak to, and I’m very fortunate that through this whole process, there’s been people in England, in the PCA (Professional Cricketers’ Association) and Durham that have supported me and really been helpful to me.”

Terrible timing

The investigation was shattering for Carse. Rob Key, the England director of cricket, started the summer by challenging bowlers like him. If they hit the ground running they stood a great chance of being part of the evolution of England’s Test team. With a two-year central contract and with plenty of experience, now aged 29, Carse was right to think this could be his summer, his opportunity to break into the Test side and add to his 14 ODI caps.

With that phone call his Test dreams this summer ended. Not surprisingly his form fell away. He took nought for 128 in 19 overs in that game against Warwickshire, and nought for 92 in his next match, his mind on other matters. When he was banned for three months, it opened the door to others. Gus Atkinson, a similarly tall right-arm quick who can bat at eight, burst through instead and 20-year-old Josh Hull made his Test debut at the Oval.